


our little secret

by MaddieandChimney



Series: Meet Cutes [4]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: F/M, Mentions of alcohol, clearly chim drunk lots of it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:28:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26510656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaddieandChimney/pseuds/MaddieandChimney
Summary: The last thing Chimney wants is to bump into anyone as he stumbles from his apartment, more than a little hungover. He most especially does not want to bump into Buck's sister who he has yet to meet.
Relationships: Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han
Series: Meet Cutes [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1927492
Comments: 5
Kudos: 15





	our little secret

He’s going to be sick, he can feel it rising as he tries to gulp down the lump in his throat. This was the downside of living alone. He had woken up with his head heavy and his throat dry, on his bathroom floor after a night of far too much drinking with his best friend and her wife. And of course, it happens to be the day his kitchen cupboards are completely void of food and he has no Gatorade or anything that’s going to help him feel semi-human.

Just dragging himself out of the apartment, wearing a hoody that was about two sizes too big for him and jogging bottoms that he wasn’t even sure had been washed, had been one of the toughest things he’d had to do. The bright light of the LA sun shining down on him the moment he stepped outside, realising it was two in the afternoon and he was still feeling as though someone was pounding on his head. 

Really, he’d have stayed curled up on the bathroom floor or at least tried to drag himself to bed if he didn’t have an overnight shift at the station in five hours’ time. That is only reason he finds himself trawling the aisles of the closest grocery store he had slumped his way into whilst trying not to throw up whatever bile was left in his stomach. He hates himself, that’s all he can think right then, he should have stopped when he got to the third whiskey and already started to feel a little lightheaded.

This is what he gets, he supposes, for trying to keep up with Hen.

“Chimney?” Oh god, this is exactly the moment he had been dreading, someone actually recognising him in his current state. A shopping basket full of chips and dip, Gatorade, orange juice and more coffee than could ever be healthy for one person. He stares at the woman in front of her, frowning when he realises he doesn’t recognise her and she is _gorgeous_ , so he’s entirely certain she is not someone he would forget. “I-I’m sorry, I’m Maddie Buckley, I recognised you from the photos.”

Maddie Buckley. Of _fucking_ course, he’d bump into Maddie Buckley when he looks like he looks and she looks… god, Buck is never going to let him live this down when she inevitably goes home and tells him who she bumped into. “Buck’s sister.” He grimaces, scratching the back of his neck as he shifts awkwardly from one foot to the other. He can actually taste vomit in his mouth and yeah, if he throws up in front of her, he’s going to have to change stations, maybe even go to a whole other state because that is not something he will ever be allowed to forget.

“Yeah, sorry. I just thought it would be rude if I pretended like I didn’t recognise you and then you’re meant to come to my new place next weekend to set up my security system and—I’m sorry. You don’t look too good, I shouldn’t have—” She is absolutely nothing like the woman he had conjured up in his mind – she’s beautiful, there’s absolutely no doubt about that and it is exactly what he had thought a Buckley would be but she’s not at all the arrogant, confident woman he had been nervous to meet.

She rambles as she talks, a pink tinge to her cheeks that somehow, despite how awful he feels, makes him smile, “Hungover.” He admits, grimacing as he talks but still feeling the need to apologise, “I-I’m sorry, I don’t—this isn’t what I—I’m so embarrassed right now and please don’t tell Buck you saw me like this.” He’s known her all of two minutes and he’s already asking her to keep secrets from her brother, yeah, nice one Chimney, he can’t help but think to himself as he takes a deep breath.

Maddie though, only laughs as she holds out the coffee cup she’s holding in her hand, “I’ve literally only taken a sip and it’s black coffee with probably far too much sugar which is bad for me anyway, so you could do with it more than me. You’re on shift soon.” He could kiss her, he doesn’t care what state of mind he’s in right then, he’s known Maddie Buckley for a few minutes and he’s already thinking about pressing his lips to hers. Great.

“A-are you sure? I don’t wanna—”

“No, it’s fine. You can totally pay me back someday. And I would grab some bananas if I were you, chips are _good_ but—probably not all that helpful in settling your stomach. And bagels, lots of bagels.”

Chimney’s hand wraps around the outstretched coffee cup, unable to stop himself from grinning at her as she talks, “I uh—definitely will grab someone bananas, and bagels.”

“And water.” She reminds him, taking a step back as she brushes her hair behind her ear and shakes her head, “I hope you’re feeling better before you gotta head to work. I’ll um, see you next week?”

“I’ll bring coffee.”

When she smiles at him, his eyes light up and he can’t keep his eyes off of her as he watches her walk away, shaking his head in complete disbelief that she hadn’t gone running the second she had seen his pale face and red, bloodshot eyes. Suddenly, the day he had been dreading (and moaning about to Hen the night before, which he now felt completely awful about), was one he would be counting down the days to as he takes a sip of the sugary goodness she had handed him.

Maybe he’d feel a little more human before work. And maybe Maddie wouldn’t tell Buck that she had seen him looking a little worse for wear so he could maintain some form of dignity in work.


End file.
